(Beeping) Homecoming

I remember being a freshman in high school and sitting in the bleachers of my first high school football game with KAP and Alex Tower. We were watching the game but mostly we were chatting. Alex kept smacking the ballcap off my head and pulling KAP's ponytail eliciting whines of "Stop it, Aaaaa-lllleeexx." 

Anyway, I remember seeing students that went to high school with my sister (who had graduated the year before I started) coming back to high school for the Homecoming game. I sat there thinking, "Why?" I hated high school. Seriously. HATED it. 

My sister was in steering committee, the french club, she swam on the swim team, she did the newspaper, she was prom chairman... you name it, she did it. And I tried to do a lot of those things thinking they'd get me out of the house (which might have been why she did them too). But my love for most things lasted six weeks. So if you look in my freshman yearbook, you'll see I showed up for a couple of shots that I didn't follow through with. My apologies to those who did and are now in charge of reunions for the rest of their lives. (I love you, Ann. And only for you would I even consider offering to help.)

I stuck with Volleyball and Yearbook. And it took me an extra year to warm up to the idea of high school soccer. 

I felt differently about college. I loved college. I loved my classes. I loved my friends. I loved my majors (yes, I had two). I loved that I set my schedule pretty much. And I loved, loved, loved working for the newspaper. 

But outside of the things I chose for myself, I was never content with the way Millikin was run as an academic institution. I did a column once on the lack of handicap accessibility, by getting into a wheelchair and pushing myself around campus. I could go practically nowhere at the time. We had issues dealing with administrators when it came to issues like rape on campus. Safety on campus. Food service issues on campus. Health Center issues. Dorm issues. Greek issues. Alcohol issues. 

The day I left, I decided if I gave money to Millikin it would all be in the name of the Decaturian or the writing and communication programs. And so far that's true, minus one $50 per plate dinner at the Occidental in D.C. 

In 2003 I moved next door to Rogers. Rogers also went to Millikin. She and I weren't friends there, although we did take one class together. She knew some of my people. I knew some of her people. But we never really were introduced. She wanted to go to Homecoming. She had been on Homecoming Court in college. And I love Rogers. So I went. And at the bar where they held our 5-year-reunion, they were supposed to take a group photo. I didn't want to be in it. Lori begged and pleaded and finally I succumbed. Only to have some intern for the alumni office show up to take it with a disposable camera. I found this hilarious. You might have been able to see that amused grin, if -- the photo had turned out. Who knew that taking a photo with a crappy disposable in the darkness of an alley turned into a beer garden in Decatur wouldn't work out? Ooooh, yeah. I did.

Anyway, in 2005, my BFF KTDID got married. KTDID is also a Millikin graduate. At her reception in Peoria, the MU folks got together and took a group photo (because Millikin prints "what Millikin graduates were at your wedding" photos in their alumni quarterly.)

KTDID's friend Colin just put our photo up on Facebook. I wonder why it didn't get printed... 

:-) See, it's that smile after all. This fall is my 10th MU graduation anniversary... and no, I'm not going.